Conflictos entre padres y conducta agresiva y delictiva en los hijos

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Factores de riesgo para sobrepeso y obesidad en escolares en una población bogotana

Introducción: con las recientes tendencias de estilo de vida, no está claro qué factores son los contribuyentes más importantes en niños escolares para desarrollar sobrepeso- obesidad. Objetivo. Evaluar el impacto de los factores prenatales, perinatales y ambientales sobre el desarrollo de sobrepeso y obesidad en niños de 5 a 10 años en una población bogotana. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio de casos y controles no pareado, empleando una encuesta a 528 niños, en quienes se identificaron los factores de riesgo. Se utilizó la prueba chi-cuadrado para evaluar las diferencia entre los niños normales y con sobrepeso-obesidad. Se realizó un modelo de regresión logística para evaluar los factores relevantes. Se determinaron los (OR) y sus intervalos de confianza (IC) del 95%. Resultados: se obtuvo una muestra de 528 niños. Se encontró que existen diferencias significativas en la ingesta calórica (p<0,001). El sobrepeso materno pregestacional fue de 23,2% en las madres de los casos y 16,5% en los controles (p<0,001). No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas con otros factores. La regresión logística arrojó datos significativos en dieta hipercalórica p =0,002 (OR =5,27; IC 95% 1,79-1,54) y el peso materno p =0,005 (OR =1,03, IC 95% 1,01-1,05). Se realizó una curva ROC para el cálculo de la capacidad predictiva del modelo y el área bajo la curva es de 0.64 (IC 95% 0.59-0.69). Conclusiones: se identificó como factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de sobrepeso-obesidad infantil en niños escolares, una dieta hipercalórica y sobrepeso materno pregestacional.

Relationship between siblings and psychological adjustment in adolescents:

This study evaluated the effect of parent-child relationship quality (acceptance and differential treatment) over dimensions of the quality of sibling relationships (warmth and conflict) and psychological adjustment in 69 adolescent sibling dyads. The effects of parent-child relationships were evaluated both at the individual and dyadic levels. In older siblings, the father-child relationship had a significant effect on both their perception of warmth in the sibling relationship and psychological adjustment. In younger siblings, there was a significant dyadic effect of the older sibling’s perceived acceptance by mother on their perception of warmth in the sibling relationship. Results are analyzed based on the literature and questions for future research are proposed.

Evaluación de un programa de expresión corporal en niños de 4 a 5 años de edad.

Comprobar si un programa de educación psicomotriz de intervención temprana basado en técnicas de expresión corporal optimiza la maduración del niño preescolar. 108 sujetos de entre 4 y 5 años: 53 niños y 55 niñas de un nivel sociocultural bajo. En total forman un grupo control con 60 sujetos y un grupo experimental con 48 sujetos. Describe el marco teórico y revisa las distintas tendencias y concepciones de la psicomotricidad, la relación entre aprendizaje y educación psicomotriz, el concepto de maduración y la intervención temprana, así como la expresion corporal, su metodología y recursos necesarios. Variable independiente: programa de intervención de expresión corporal. Variable dependiente: distintos niveles de maduración del niño preescolar (verbal, memoria, motricidad, etc.). Plantea un diseño de grupo control y experimental, aplicando a este último el programa de expresión corporal. Para obtener los datos realiza una evaluación test-retest mediante tests estandarizados de psicomotricidad y desarrollo de las variables independientes antes y después del tratamiento. Lleva a cabo un análisis estadístico descriptivo para cada factor de desarrollo del niño y un análisis de variancia para calcular la significatividad entre grupos y centros. Expone el programa de técnicas de expresión corporal. Escalas McCarthy de aptitudes y psicomotricidad para niños (MSCA). Sociograma. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) de Achenbach. Programa de técnicas de expresión corporal ad hoc. Estadística descriptiva, ANOVA, gráficas y SPSS. El test retest muestra que los sujetos del grupo experimental han incrementado las puntuaciones en: maduración motriz, maduración perceptivo-manipulativa, maduración numérica y maduración cognitivo general. No ha habido cambios, o ha sido por el paso del tiempo, en maduración verbal y memoria. La intervención con técnicas de expresión corporal es más eficaz en los factores estrictamente motores que en los verbales, y es más eficaz si se aplica a grupos pequeños que en grupos grandes.

Conducta y desarrollo psicológico de un grupo de niños preescolares con déficit ponderal.

Estudiar y comparar el desarrollo de la conducta de los niños con DPPT en edad preescolar en relación a niños normales. La población es de 3000-6000 niños de primero de Preescolar de edades comprendidas entre 3 años y 10 meses y 5 años y cuatro meses, de nivel socioeconómico diverso, que acudieron al examen de salud que ofrece el Servicio de Medicina Preventiva del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona. La muestra 1 la componían 30 individuos, 11 varones y 19 mujeres cuyo peso estuviese por debajo del percentil 3 usando las tablas Tanner. La muestra 2, grupo de control, lo componían 32 individuos, 13 varones y 19 mujeres. El autor realiza una aproximación teórica a los conceptos de desarrollo psicológico y crecimiento físico, así como a los conceptos de malnutrición y de los efectos psicológicos del déficit nutricional. En el segundo bloque de la investigación se analiza el perfil conductual y el desarrollo psicológico en base a las hipótesis: 1) los niños que presentan un peso por debajo de dos desviaciones standard en relación a la edad estatural presentan un retraso global en el desarrollo psicomotor; 2) los niños que presentan un peso por debajo de dos desviaciones standard en relación a su edad estatural, presentan aspectos de comportamiento diferente. Se aplicó la escala McCarthy de aptitudes y psicomotricidad para niños. Escala Child Behavior Checklist. SPSS. Los individuos del grupo muestra presentan un desarrollo psicomotor similar al del grupo de control. No se advierten diferencias estadísticamente significativas pero se observa la posibilidad de que una muestra mayor, sí las mostrara. El déficit de peso para la talla puede ser considerado como factor predisponente para problemas de desarrollo y conducta. Si se une a factores desfavorables como antecedentes patológicos orgánicos o apetitos alternados, pueden dar lugar a desarrollo anómalo.

Conducta antisocial en adolescentes.

Estudiar la posible influencia de ciertas variables ambientales, como la asociación con compañeros marginales y otros factores familiares y de variables individuales.Y estudiar la posible manifestación de la conducta antisocial en presencia de alto grado de sintomatomatología depresiva y/o la conducta hiperactiva con déficit de atención.. 151 sujetos pertenecientes a 2 escuelas públicas de Badia (Vallès Occidental).86 sujetos de 7õ de E.G.B y 1õ de Enseñanza Secundaria. 85 sujetos de 8õ de E.G.B. y 2õ de Enseñanza Secundaria.. Realiza una revisión bibliográfica y basa el estudio en la Teoría Interaccionista de la conducta antisocial para la identificación de variables tanto socio-ambientales como individuales. Plantea la siguiente hipótesis:'Los sujetos del mismo sexo que presenten una mayor necesidad de estimulación y alta susceptabilidad a la recompensa, junto con una baja susceptibilidad al castigo y un alto grado de asociación con compañeros marginales, seran los que tendran mayor probabilidad de manifestar una conducta antisocial'. Aplica los instrumentos de investigación (cuestionarios), realiza un análisis estadístico de las varibles (herencia, sexo, inteligencia, personalidad, rendimiento académico, hiperactividad, estimulación, circunstancias socioeconómico, asociación con compañeros marginales, ...) y elabora conclusiones.. Cuestionarios: Child Behavior Checkist, escala de susceptibilidad al castigo y susceptibilidad a la recompensa, escala de búsqueda de sensaciones, autoinforme de conducta antisocial, .... Programa estadístico SPSS+, comparación de medias de Student-Fisher(t), correlaciones, modelo lineal de regresión.. Los datos confirman plenamente la hipotesis principal. Las diferencias sexuales de conducta y personalidad se hacen patentes en el estudio. La variable rendimiento escolar es significativamente predictoria. El resto de variables presentan una capacidad de predicción baja.. Los varones presentan mayor conducta delictiva y tienden a asociarse más con compañeros marginales. Las chicas son más sensibles a las señales de castigo y desarrollan un rendimiento académico más elevado. En ambos sexos la conducta antisocial se puede predecir a partir de diversas variables. A partir de este tipo de estudios se pueden crear programas de tratamiento y prevención de la conducta antisocial..

Likelihood-based estimation of microsatellite mutation rates

Microsatellites are widely used in genetic analyses, many of which require reliable estimates of microsatellite mutation rates, yet the factors determining mutation rates are uncertain. The most straightforward and conclusive method by which to study mutation is direct observation of allele transmissions in parent-child pairs, and studies of this type suggest a positive, possibly exponential, relationship between mutation rate and allele size, together with a bias toward length increase. Except for microsatellites on the Y chromosome, however, previous analyses have not made full use of available data and may have introduced bias: mutations have been identified only where child genotypes could not be generated by transmission from parents' genotypes, so that the probability that a mutation is detected depends on the distribution of allele lengths and varies with allele length. We introduce a likelihood-based approach that has two key advantages over existing methods. First, we can make formal comparisons between competing models of microsatellite evolution; second, we obtain asymptotically unbiased and efficient parameter estimates. Application to data composed of 118,866 parent-offspring transmissions of AC microsatellites supports the hypothesis that mutation rate increases exponentially with microsatellite length, with a suggestion that contractions become more likely than expansions as length increases. This would lead to a stationary distribution for allele length maintained by mutational balance. There is no evidence that contractions and expansions differ in their step size distributions.

Future directions for doll play narrative research: a commentary

Past research into doll play narratives has been productive in elucidating children's inner experiences, their determinants, and their role in child behaviour problems. The current volume takes this work forward in several directions: first, it indicates the value of designing story stems and coding schemes to address more specific questions about the developmental process of specific syndromes. Second, contributions demonstrate the "added value" provided by children's narratives, over and above information derived from other sources. Third, this recent research enhances our understanding of the role of parental representations and states of mind in influencing children's narratives; how these may come to influence child functioning via co-constructed parent-child dialogues is an important area for future research. Finally, possibilities of extending the clinical utility of doll play narratives are explored.

Temperament, family environment and anxiety in preschool children

This research examines the relationship between behavioural inhibition (BI), family environment (overinvolved and negative parenting, parental anxiety and parent-child attachment) and anxiety in a sample of 202 preschool children. Participants were aged between 3 years 2 months and 4 years 5 months, 101 were male. A thorough methodology was used that incorporated data from multiple observations of behaviour, diagnostic interviews and questionnaire measures. The results showed that children categorised as behaviourally inhibited were significantly more likely to meet criteria for a range of anxiety diagnoses. Furthermore, a wide range of family environment factors, including maternal anxiety, parenting and attachment were significantly associated with BI, with inhibited children more likely to experience adverse family environment factors. No interactions between temperament and family environment were found for child anxiety. However, a significant relationship between current maternal anxiety and child anxiety was found consistently even after controlling for BI. Additionally, there was some evidence of a relationship between maternal negativity and child anxiety, after controlling for BI. The results may suggest that temperament and family environment operate as additive, rather than interactive risk factors for child anxiety. This is discussed in the context of theoretical models of child anxiety and directions for future research.

Maternal antenatal anxiety, postnatal stroking and emotional problems in children: outcomes predicted from pre and postnatal programming hypotheses

Background Mothers' self-reported stroking of their infants over the first weeks of life modifies the association between prenatal depression and physiological and emotional reactivity at 7 months, consistent with animal studies of the effects of tactile stimulation. We now investigate whether the effects of maternal stroking persist to 2.5 years. Given animal and human evidence for sex differences in the effects of prenatal stress we compare associations in boys and girls. Method From a general population sample of 1233 first-time mothers recruited at 20 weeks gestation we drew a random sample of 316 for assessment at 32 weeks, stratified by reported inter-partner psychological abuse, a risk indicator for child development. Of these mothers, 243 reported at 5 and 9 weeks how often they stroked their infants, and completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at 2.5 years post-delivery. Results There was a significant interaction between prenatal anxiety and maternal stroking in the prediction of CBCL internalizing (p = 0.001) and anxious/depressed scores (p < 0.001). The effects were stronger in females than males, and the three-way interaction prenatal anxiety × maternal stroking × sex of infant was significant for internalizing symptoms (p = 0.003). The interactions arose from an association between prenatal anxiety and internalizing symptoms only in the presence of low maternal stroking. Conclusions The findings are consistent with stable epigenetic effects, many sex specific, reported in animal studies. While epigenetic mechanisms may be underlying the associations, it remains to be established whether stroking affects gene expression in humans.

Parental responsibility beliefs: associations with parental anxiety and behaviours in the context of childhood anxiety disorders

Background: High levels of parental anxiety are associated with poor treatment outcomes for children with anxiety disorders. Associated parental cognitions and behaviours have been implicated as impediments to successful treatment. We examined the association between parental responsibility beliefs, maternal anxiety and parenting behaviours in the context of childhood anxiety disorders. Methods: Anxious and non-anxious mothers of 7-12 year old children with a current anxiety disorder reported their parental responsibility beliefs using a questionnaire measure. Parental behaviours towards their child during a stressor task were measured. Results: Parents with a current anxiety disorder reported a greater sense of responsibility for their child’s actions and wellbeing than parents who scored within the normal range for anxiety. Furthermore, higher parental responsibility was associated with more intrusive and less warm behaviours in parent-child interactions and there was an indirect effect between maternal anxiety and maternal intrusive behaviours via parental responsibility beliefs. Limitations: The sample was limited to a treatment-seeking, relatively high socio-economic population and only mothers were included so replication with more diverse groups is needed. The use of a range of stressor tasks may have allowed for a more comprehensive assessment of parental behaviours. Conclusions: The findings suggest that parental anxiety disorder is associated with an elevated sense of parental responsibility and may promote parental behaviours likely to inhibit optimum child treatment outcomes. Parental responsibility beliefs may therefore be important to target in child anxiety treatments in the context of parental anxiety disorders.

Livskvalitet i familier : nære relasjoners betydning for ”det gode liv”

Life quality in families: close relations and “the good life” The aim of this paper is to explore how aspects and qualities of modern family life influence subjective well-being. Although the patterns of family, work and sexuality have changed dramatically the last four decades, it is here claimed that the family is still an important base of socialization and upbringing. Thus the study of processes within the family can contribute to the understanding of the environment in which many children grow up. In most families, work, partner and family roles are intertwined, and one central hypothesis of this work is that family members influence each other in the individual formation of well-being. The main research question of this study asks: How is life quality affected by the quality of parent-child and the partner relationships and aspects of their shared everyday life? Empirical implications are tested against 2002-data from a representative, Norwegian sample. Analyses conclude that the quality of parent-child and the spousal relationship, and also aspects of families’ everyday life such as work-life balance and time pressure influence the subjective life quality, but mother’s and father’s life quality is affected by differing and partly incompatible conditions.

Children's Vocabulary Development : The role of parental input, vocabulary composition and early communicative skills

The aim of this thesis is to examine the early vocabulary development of a sample of Swedish children in relation to parental input and early communicative skills. Three studies are situated in an overall description of early language development in children. The data analyzed in the thesis was collected within a larger project at Stockholm University (SPRINT- “Effects of enhanced parental input on young children’s vocabulary development and subsequent literacy development” [VR 2008-5094]). Data analysis was based on parental report via SECDI, the Swedish version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, and audio recordings. One study examined parental verbal interaction characteristics in three groups of children with varying vocabulary size at 18 months. The stability of vocabulary development at 18 and 24 months was investigated in a larger study, with focus on children’s vocabulary composition and grammatical abilities. The third study examined interrelations among early gestures, receptive and productive vocabulary, and grammar measured with M3L, i.e. three longest utterances, from 12 to 30 months. Overall results of the thesis highlight the importance of early language development. Variability in different characteristics in parental input is associated with variability in child vocabulary size. Children with large early vocabularies exhibit the most stability in vocabulary composition and the earliest grammatical development. Children’s vocabulary composition may reflect individual stylistic variation. Use of early gestures is associated differentially with receptive and productive vocabulary. Results of the thesis have implications for parents, child- and healthcare personnel, as well as researchers and educational practitioners. The results underscore the importance of high quality in adult-child interaction, with rich input fine-tuned to children’s developmental levels and age, together with high awareness of early language development.

Estudo das propriedades psicométricas do perfil psicoeducacional PEP-R : elaboração da versão brasileira

O presente estudo investigou as propriedades psicométricas do Perfil Psicoeducacional Revisado (Psychoeducational Profile Revised - PEP-R), criado para avaliar a idade de desenvolvimento em crianças com autismo ou com transtornos correlatos da comunicação. Após tradução feita por dois tradutores bilíngües, vários itens (como imagens e letras do alfabeto) foram substituídos para tornar o material mais atrativo e apropriado à nossa cultura. Um estudo piloto composto por 20 crianças com desenvolvimento típico foi realizado para avaliar a adequação das mudanças realizadas nas imagens do instrumento. A validade relacionada a critério das dimensões da escala de Desenvolvimento e Comportamento foi avaliada administrando-se o PEP-R em 20 crianças autistas, 20 crianças com Síndrome de Down e 40 crianças com desenvolvimento típico. As crianças tinham idade entre 4 e 9 anos e também responderam ao teste de Matrizes Coloridas de Raven e à versão brasileira do CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist). As correlações entre o PEP-R e essas medidas foram de 0,54 e 0,39, respectivamente. A fidedignidade entre os avaliadores (coeficiente de W-Kendall) mostrou resultados variando entre 0,80 e 0,87. Os índices de consistência interna do PEP-R variaram entre 0,80 e 0,97. A comparação dos escores brutos finais da escala de Comportamento do PEP-R, nos três grupos, confirmou a validade discriminante do instrumento, uma vez que o grupo com autismo apresentou maior comprometimento que os demais grupos, nas dimensões investigadas

Avaliação sócio-comportamental de crianças portadoras de dermatite atópica

Introdução: A dermatite atópica (DA) é uma doença inflamatória crônica da pele que apresenta um impacto significativo na qualidade de vida dos pacientes, em conseqüência de episódios recorrentes durante a vida. Considerando estudos recentes que descrevem a associação entre aspectos psicológicos e a dermatite atópica, acredita-se que a investigação da existência de um possível perfil comportamental destas crianças possa auxiliar o desenvolvimento de intervenções psicoterápicas específicas, assim como aumentar o conhecimento sobre a doença. Método: Este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar uma avaliação do perfil sóciocomportamental de crianças portadoras de DA e comparando-as com crianças sem a doença. Neste estudo, do tipo caso-controle, foram incluídos dois grupos com idades entre 4 e 18 anos: o grupo estudo, com pacientes portadores de dermatite atópica que consultam no ambulatório do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) e o grupo controle, composto por crianças e adolescentes sem doença dermatológica, matriculados em escola da rede pública de Porto Alegre. O tamanho estimado da amostra foi de 25 indivíduos em cada grupo. A coleta dos dados realizou-se através do CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist), validado no Brasil com o nome de Inventário de Comportamento da Infância e Adolescência. Resultados: Foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas nas duas dimensões globais (internalização e externalização), sendo que as crianças portadoras de dermatite atópica mostraram mais sintomas relacionados com ansiedade, depressão, alterações de pensamento e comportamento agressivo quando comparadas com crianças sem a doença. Conclusão: Os resultados indicam a necessidade de abordagens interdisciplinares no tratamento da criança com DA, valorizando não só as lesões dermatológicas, como também os aspectos emocionais dos indivíduos.